Measures

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ECLAC and the General Attorney of the Public Ministry of Peru toward the transfer of statistical information on violence against women in Peru. Hide

ESCAP convened a High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Review Regional Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and Its Regional and Global Outcomes (November 2009), during which, a panel discussion entitled “Regional campaign to end violence against women” was held. The experiences of various countries in measuring and addressing violence against women, including through engaging with men and boys and with faith-based organizations, were shared. A regional consultation for the Secretary-General’s campaign to end violence against women in the Asia-Pacific region was also organized. Hide

The Gender Capacity Standby Roster (GenCap) Steering Committee held its annual planning and strategy meeting in October 2009. It decided to increase the number of deployments from 120 months in 2009 to 170 months in 2010 and to recruit more members to the GenCap roster. The IASC Gender Sub-Working Group (SWG) on Gender and Humanitarian Action, in collaboration with InterAction, developed a certificate-based online course on gender in humanitarian action. The target audience is humanitarian field workers, and prevention of gender-based violence in a key facet of the course. Hide

OCHA is the task manager of the inter-agency Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) review, agreed in July 2009 at the meeting of the IASC Working Group. The objective of the review is to assess whether the UN and NGOs have implemented policies to address sexual exploitation and abuse by their personnel. Thirteen of 14 agencies agreed to participate in the agency headquarters assessment. Field missions will be organized to DRC and Nepal, while seven other countries will be profiled through alternative methodologies. Hide

On behalf of the IASC Sub-working group on Gender, in November 2009 OCHA facilitated a workshop in Panama on gender equality and gender-based violence programming in humanitarian settings for the Central American region. The workshop aimed to roll out the Gender Handbook in Humanitarian Action and the Guidelines for gender-based violence interventions in humanitarian settings. Hide

In its risk assessment of Secretariat departments, offices, regional commissions and peacekeeping and political missions, OIOS identified governance and organizational arrangements as a high risk area. OIOS had conducted, in 2008, an audit of the management of the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI) and the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). OIOS recommended that DESA, in consultation with the Secretary-General, should consolidate OSAGI and DAW into one single programme within DESA. Hide

As part of its Investigations Learning Programme (ILP), the Investigations Division of OIOS has successfully launched a Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Basic Investigations Training Course for the various investigative entities in the UN system, such as Military Police and Special Investigations Units. Particularly applicable in the peacekeeping context, the SEA training course covers techniques and best practices in several aspects of SEA: investigations, including first response issues; interviewing for SEA cases; field investigation issues; report writing; evidence collection and forensic analysis; and applicable law, with a focus on "the SEA bulletin": ST/SGB/2003/13, Special measures for protection against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. The course applies a multi-disciplinary approach to learning by using role playing, group work, group discussion, video reviewing and videotaping for interview exercises. Hide

In September 2009, UNAIDS helped launch and lead a new initiative to prevent sexual violence against girls, which unites the work of five UN agencies with the Clinton Global Initiative and the US Centers for Disease Control, with a particular emphasis on AIDS affected countries. Six countries have begun data collection and programmatic action to strengthen legal and judicial policies as well as health, child protection and community responses to reduce sexual violence. Hide

In October 2009, the UNAIDS Executive Director established a Task Force, comprised of a wide range of stakeholders, to advise on the development of an Operational Plan for the UNAIDS Action Framework on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV, which was endorsed at the Board meeting in December 2009. The Action Framework and Operational Plan outline core responsibilities for the UN in advancing work on women, girls and HIV at all levels. Hide

UNAIDS is providing technical and/or financial support to an additional six countries to strengthen programming to reduce sexual violence against girls. Violence against women has been made a priority of the Global Uniformed Services Task Force on HIV. A strategy is being developed and implemented to ensure that uniformed services undergo basic awareness raising and training in the prevention of sexual violence in addition to HIV. Hide